Chapter 153: Chapter 151

—Atlas Station—

Cerberus agents, through years of work, had successfully embedded themselves into the station, posing as regular residents who worked within the station to earn a living. It took them years, and even now there are still lots of things that they don't know about the Ascendency, but they were also able to learn more than what they originally had.

Information was key, and they had a lot of it on the Ascendency, but not enough to tip the balance of power nor gain anything that they could use. The Ascendency personnel were very hard to crack or at least get information from, and the military was even harder.

Their network was also impenetrable by Cerberus agents who had tried to infiltrate it and steal some valuable information only to minutes later find themselves under attack and captured by Ascendency forces.

The Illusive man however had used this to his advantage and tried to collect valuable information on the Ascendency vessels and personnel that came to attack the base. From this he was able to learn that the Ascendency's military was not just a force of raw power, but also possessed significant tactical abilities.

Their attacks were calculated and their defense impenetrable. Moreover, the soldiers bore the emblem of the Empire with such loyalty that left no room for insubordination or defection.

The Illusive man also learned about their extremely advanced weaponry that packed enough power to obliterate anything that came into its path. With this he also made the connection between the new rising corporation on Illium called Interstellar Enterprises and the Ascendency. Interstellar Enterprises was taking over almost every market by introducing new and revolutionary technology that surpassed the current corporations' capabilities.

They were also known for treating their workers way better than other corporations and the pay was great, which naturally attracted a lot of workers and attention to the corporation. Still though the Asari Corporations were still on top considering their long-established history. But it won't take long before Interstellar Enterprises passes them.

The Illusive man connected the dots between the time the Ascendency became known to the galaxy, to the time the corporation was established. And then, adding all the things that his agents report about Atlas Station and how advanced it was, all evidence pointed to the conclusion that the corporation was backed by the Ascendency.

He had already procured a few items from the corporation through various aliases so that he could reverse engineer the technology and mass produce it for Cerberus or even create other weapons with it.

However, no matter if he succeeded or not, the technology will never be able to surpass the Ascendency's since the Illusive man didn't have the means, people, nor resources that the Ascendency had to be able to create a more powerful weapon than the average Ascendency soldier had.

Damian West, the CEO of Interstellar Enterprises, had managed to expand the corporation across the galaxy since its foundation. The massive income of the corporation was funneled back into its own development and expansion. In addition, it had also become a major hub for the Ascendency's intelligence network, with agents working in all levels of the corporation to gather information and monitor various areas of the Terminus Systems.

Despite its powerful position in the corporate world, Interstellar Enterprises maintained a low profile, diverting most of its resources towards developing new technologies that would benefit the people of the galaxy. The company was also known for its philanthropic efforts, contributing significantly to various causes like education, public health, and infrastructure. This earned it a positive reputation among the citizens of the galaxy.

Damian West knew he held a delicate yet important role. He was often seen as a charismatic leader who had a deep understanding of his employees' needs and concerns. He took great care in ensuring that everyone in his employment was treated fairly and with respect. This approach led to a deep loyalty towards him and the corporation.

—Halo Galaxy—

The Harbinger and the rest of her race were still not happy about their treatment by the Forerunners, which was something that neither Axel nor the Librarian could change. Their race was basically shackled by the Forerunners, having been forcibly put into a state of deep sleep during the Forerunners' war with the ancient humans. As such, they bore a simmering resentment towards their captors and a distrust towards Axel and his Ascendency who walked a similar path to that of the Forerunners.

The Harbinger, their leader, was an entity of immense intelligence and wisdom. But even she had difficulty reconciling her people's past with the current state of affairs. The Ascendency, in its quest for universal peace and unity, had created what seemed to her like a second Forerunner empire. And it was completely unknown what the Ascendency planned to do with her and her people in the foreseeable future.

While she saw no immediate threat from Axel or his empire, she knew that things could change in an instant. For now, though, they were given a system alongside resources to grow their population and were allowed to send a representative to represent the interests of their species within the Ascendency. The Harbinger took this as a sign of goodwill, although she remained cautious.

The representative was one of her finest advisors, who shared her wisdom and passion for their people's well-being. It was an uncertain position to be in, but Axel's Ascendency did not give them many other options.

For now, the Xalanyn would rebuild their society from basically the ground up and start growing their population.

—Unknown Galaxy—

Back on the Endeavor, the transport ship's arrival had sent the crew into a flurry of activity. Medics were dispatched to check for any wounded and calm a few of the researchers who were frightened from their first being in the middle of a battle.

"Captain Harper." Lieutenant Meyers' voice cut through the commotion as he approached her.

"Meyers," she greeted him with a nod, her eyes taking in his appearance with a swift, critical eye. "Injuries?"

"None" he replied. "Despite being outnumbered, our shields and armor had protected us from any physical damage."

Harper let out a sigh of relief. The safety of her crew was her utmost concern at the moment considering their situation. "Did we manage to recover our research data?" she asked.

"A good majority of it, yes," he confirmed. Then he added, "But we lost all our equipment and a few samples."

Captain Harper nodded grimly. This setback would delay their research, but it wasn't insurmountable. They could replace equipment, but lives were irreplaceable.

"I'd like to debrief as soon as possible," she stated firmly. "I want to understand why these aliens attacked us out of nowhere."

"Understood, Captain. I'll gather my team for debriefing," Meyers acknowledged before he left to gather his squad.

In the meantime, Captain Harper retired to her office where she activated her personal console. The faces of her top advisors, all of whom were leaders of the various research teams on the ship appeared on the screen, all of whom awaited a report of the hostile encounter.

She detailed the events as they had unfolded during the ground mission and the sudden attack from the alien species they had come across.

Their reactions varied from surprise to concern, but all agreed on one thing: they needed more information about these aliens and their reasons for attacking. The majority recommended sending a fully armed MCU recon team back to the planet for more intel.

Harper thought over their advice. She wished she had MCUs onboard the ship or that she could even make them, but because her ship was designated as a civilian ship, MCUs couldn't be put onboard nor constructed on Civilians ships because of how advanced they were. If the Ascendency allowed such a thing, then rebellions would be more prominent, and somebody could create an entire army of MCUs just for themselves.

Corporations could try and pressure the central government with their large number of MCU's even if they were restricted and regulated. Nothing will stop people from becoming ambitious should they see a way to gain even more power so keeping a tight lid on MCU distribution was the only way forward.

With this in mind, Harper carefully considered her options. Finally, she addressed her advisors.

"Given our resources and the present situation, sending a recon team in their current state might prove lethal should we encounter the same hostility. I propose we use caution and prioritize intelligence over retaliation. We cannot fight what we do not understand."

Her suggestion was met with thoughtful silence, then nods of approval from the leaders. There was general agreement that rash actions could lead to unnecessary casualties.

"We'll send our drones for an initial scan," she decided. "In the meantime, I want our best minds working on identifying that energy signature from their weapons. Maybe we can find some weaknesses or at least expand our understanding."

Orders were issued and Harper's screen went blank as her advisors set to work. She leaned back in her chair and pondered about this unexpected turn of events. This first contact had failed horribly; they had hoped for a peaceful diplomatic effort, but now they were engaged in a hostile standoff with an unknown species.

Just then, Lieutenant Meyers entered the room with his squad following closely behind him. All of them were still wearing their combat gear. Once they were all inside, the debriefing commenced.